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New standards will limit power plant emissions

Keith Reopelle of Clean Wisconsin and Scott Manley of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce discuss the Obama administration's plan to limit power plant emissions state by state.

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Updated: 9:00 AM CDT Aug 9, 2015

New standards will limit power plant emissions

Keith Reopelle of Clean Wisconsin and Scott Manley of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce discuss the Obama administration's plan to limit power plant emissions state by state.

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Updated: 9:00 AM CDT Aug 9, 2015

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WEBVTT WE ARE THE FIRST-GENERATION TO FEEL THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE LAST GENERATION THE CONDUCIVE THE ABOUT IT. MIKE: PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCING HIS PLAN TO CURB POWER PLANT EMISSIONS. THE EPA MANDATE THE PLACE STRICT CARBON EMISSION LIMITS ON STATES. ALREADY SOME, INCLUDING WISCONSIN HAVE THREATENED LEGAL ACTION TO STOP THE RESTRICTIONS. GOVERNOR WALKER SAID IT WOULD KILL MANUFACTURING IN THE STATING CAUSE RATEPAYERS BILLIONS. WE ARE EXPLAINED THIS WITH KEITH OF COOLING WISCONSIN AND SCOTT OF THE WISCONSIN MANUFACTURERS & COMMERCE. OUT BEGIN WITH YOU SCOTT. IN A NUTSHELL, WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT THIS? GUEST: THE CONCERNS ARE THE COSTGUEST: AND WITH THOSE COSTS ARE GOING TO DO TO MANUFACTURING JOBS IN OUR STATE. WE'RE THE NUMBER ONE STATE IN THE COUNTRY IN TERMS OF MANUFACTURING JOBS FOR CAPITAL. IN ORDER FOR THOSE JOBS TO BE VIABLE WHEN NEED ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE AND RELIABLE ENERGY. WHAT THIS CARBON RULE IS GOING TO DO IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE COST OF ELECTRICITY IN OUR STATE. BACK IN 2008 WHEN HE WAS CANDIDATE OBAMA PROMISED TO MAKE ELECTRICITY PRICES NECESSARILY SKYROCKET. THIS RULE WILL DO THAT. THE ESTIMATE FROM OUR STATE UTILITY COMMISSIONER SAYS BETWEEN $4 BILLION AND $13 BILLION. MIKE: YOU THINK THIS IS A JOB KILLER? GUEST: ABSOLUTELY. MIKE: KEITH, YOU SEE THIS DIFFERENTLY. GUEST: THEY ARE REASONABLE AND ACHIEVABLE GOALS WISCONSIN IN THE NATION. WE SEE THIS IS A REALLY CRITICAL STEP TO ADDRESS CARBON POLLUTION, WHICH CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO LIMITS ON THE CARBON POLLUTION FROM THE LARGEST SOURCES WHICH ARE POWER PLANTS. THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP FOR A LOT OF REASONS BUT ESPECIALLY PUBLIC HEALTH. TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT IT WILL HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT. THIS WILL REDUCE ASTHMA ATTACKS IN OUR CHILDREN BY 90,000 LESS ASTHMA ATTACKS AND CHILDREN. OVER 150,000 LESS MATURE DEATHS. THERE ARE TANGIBLE BENEFITS IN MUSK -- AND WISCONSIN CAN NATURALLY DO THIS WITHOUT ANY INCREASE IN COST IN OUR ENERGY BILLS. THE EPA ANALYSIS OF THEIR ROLE THAT THEY JUST PUT UP MONDAY SHOWS THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BE A SLIGHT DECREASE IN ENERGY BILLS. THE STUDY THAT SCOTT MANLEY REFERRED TO JUST NOW WITH A PSE WAS A STUDY OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROPOSAL. IT IS APPLES AND ORANGES. AND IT WAS LOADED TO AIM HIGH IN TERMS OF THE COST TO BEGIN WITH. GUEST: IT WAS A DIFFERENT RULE, BUT THE LATEST VERSION OF THE RULE ACTUALLY GOT WORSE FOR WISCONSIN. THERE ARE 16 STATES WHERE THE FINAL VERSION OF THE RULE HAS A DEEPER AND MORE STRINGENT EMISSION REDUCTION REQUIREMENT IN WISCONSIN -- AND WISCONSIN IS ONE OF THE STATES. WE THINK THE FINAL VERSION OF THE RULE IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE PRIOR VERSION. THE IDEA THAT WE ARE GOING TO REQUIRE UTILITIES TO SPEND MANY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND THAT IS SOMEHOW NOT GOING TO BE PASSED ALONG TO RATEPAYERS AND IN FACT BILLS ARE GOING TO GO DOWN AS THE EPA HAS SUGGESTED -- THAT IS NONSENSE. THE IDEA THAT THE EPA SAYS WE ARE INTO HAVE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL GO DOWN. THIS IS THE SAME OF MINISTERS AND THAT'S IT IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR DOCTOR AND WE WILL REDUCE YOUR HEALTH CARE BILL BY $2500 A YEAR. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. MIKE: KEITH, I WOULD YOU RESPOND TO SOMETHING. THE CEO OF -- ENERGIES AND HE SAID WE ARE NOT GETTING CREDIT FOR THINGS WE HAVE DONE SINCE 2000. WE HAVE INVESTED A BILLION DOLLARS IN NEW EFFICIENT AND FOR STRUCTURE. WE HAVE REDUCED CARBON EMISSIONS SIGNIFICANT LEGAL THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME. BUT THAT IS NOT BEING RECOGNIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT. FOR MAKING IT HARD IN US TO DO BUSINESS. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT? GUEST: HE IS REFERRING TO THE INVESTMENT IN THE PORT WASHINGTON PLANT. THE FACT THAT IN 2003-2005 BALLPARK THEY CONVERTED A COAL PLANT TO A LARGE NATIONAL GAS PLANT -- NATURAL GAS PLANT. AND THEY WILL GET A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THAT UNDER THIS PLAN. THAT MOVE WAS A USEFUL MOVE FOR THE ENERGIES AND IT WILL ABSOLUTELY HEALTH AND TO COMPLY WITH THIS. IT IS REALLY HARD TO FEEL SYMPATHY FOR WE ENERGIES BECAUSE THEY JUST BUILT TO LARGE COAL PLANTS AT THE SAME TIME RIGHT AFTER THEY CONVERTED PORT WASHINGTON. IN THE BILL WHEN IT ON ROAD. GUEST: WE DIRECTED THEM TO BUILD UP, BY THE WAY. MIKE: WE AND AS HE JOHNSON CORPORATION TO GET ALL THE TO THE WISCONSIN SINK -- SUPREME COURT TO TRY TO GET THEM TO BUILD GAS PLANTS INSTEAD OF COAL PLANTS WHICH WOULD'VE BEEN MUCH BETTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE MILWAUKEE AREA. THEY INSISTED ON COAL PLANTS AND NOW THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY TO REDUCE THEIR COAL EMISSIONS. IT WAS REALLY HARD TO FEEL SYMPATHETIC FOR THEM. MIKE: KEITH IS WRONG. IT WAS NOT WE ENERGY, IT WAS THE PUBLIC SERVICE THAT CAN -- MADE THEM BUILD COAL PLANTS. THEY PROPOSED A GAS PLANT AT OAK CREEK IN THE PSC CHOSE COAL. I THINK WHAT MR. -- WAS TALKING ABOUT IS THEY ARE NOT GETTING ANY CREDIT FOR ANY THE RENEWABLE ENERGY THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENT IT IN THIS STATE. IN ORDER TO MEET THIS RULE YOU'LL HAVE TO BUILD A LOT OF RENEWABLES AND THEY GET CREDIT FOR THAT. MIKE: LET ME PURSUE THAT ISSUE. YOU TALK ABOUT THE JOB LOSSES BUT AREN'T THERE JOB CREATION POSSIBILITIES? WE HAVE LACKED BEHIND IN WIND POWER IN IOWA AND MINNESOTA. WE REALLY HAVE NOT DONE THAT. GOODNESS BE AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY? GUEST: NO, IT REALLY ISN'T. THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A DIVERSE ENERGY PORTFOLIO. CERTAINLY WE SUPPORT THAT BUT YOU HAVE GOT TO LOOK AT COSTS. I JUST SAW A STUDY THIS WEEK THAT SAID IT IS THREE TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE TO CITE WIND ENERGY THAN TO USE EXISTING COAL. THE FACT IS WHEN -- WIND ENERGY AND SOLAR ENERGY ARE INTERMITTENT SOURCES OF ENERGY. THEY CANNOT PROVIDE A CONSTANT FULL OF ENERGY THAT THE PEOPLE NEED SO THAT WHEN THEY FLIPPED THE LIGHT SWITCH THEY GET ELECTRICITY. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS RULE IS GOING TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE ENERGY PRICES. HIGHER ENERGY PRICES ARE NOT A RECIPE FOR JOB GROWTH. IT IS A RECIPE FOR JOB DISTRACTION. MIKE: KEITH, I'M READY TO BE THE FINAL WORD. 60% OF THE ENERGY IN THE STATE IS COMING FROM COAL. SURELY THERE WILL BE SOME IMPACT IF WE HAVE TO MAKE ALL THESE CHANGES? GUEST: THERE IS A COST OF BUILDING ENERGIES -- ANYTHING. OF COURSE THERE IS A COST AT INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT THE PSE STUDY THAT SCOTT REFERRED TO EARLIER COMPLETELY IGNORES IS THE FACT THAT YOU CAN GET A LOT OF CARBON EMISSION REDUCTIONS FROM INVESTING IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY WHICH WISCONSIN HAS DONE A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF THAT WE CAN DO A LOT MORE OF IT. WHEN YOU DO IT YOU GET EVERY -- A DIRECT REDUCTION IN ENERGY BILLS AND THAT IS A YOU OFFSET THOSE COSTS. MIKE: SCOTT MANLEY, AND KEITH WITH CLEAN WISCONSIN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. COMING UP NEXT, A LOOK INSIDE THE SPIN ROOM OF THE FIRST GOP PRIMARY DEBATE WITH

New standards will limit power plant emissions

Keith Reopelle of Clean Wisconsin and Scott Manley of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce discuss the Obama administration's plan to limit power plant emissions state by state.